u/Axiryth

Our complex of 8 townhouses voted at the AGM last month to apply for the full fibre upgrade. Our strata manager sent in the application last week with me as the local contact. Today I received a pretty confusing response from NBNCo…

“After reviewing the details, it appears that one of the units in your property is already eligible for a fibre upgrade, and an order has been placed. However, the order is currently on hold as your building is considered complex and requires remediation works along with a bespoke design to enable fibre upgrades across all units within the property. As part of this planned remediation activity, all premises within your building/complex will become eligible for individual fibre upgrades. Based on the current update, the expected completion date for these works is the end of June 2026.”

This struck me as strange. So I looked up all 8 units on Leaptel’s & ABB’s address checker. Sure enough, units 6 & 7 both say they are eligible for the “new development offer”, while the 6 other units only mention FTTN. This was not the case a year ago when we first moved in. Back then, all 8 units only showed FTTN as being available.

All units are connected to the NBN via the same MDU at the front of the complex. So how is it possible that two have become eligible for the free fibre upgrade?

When I searched the LukePrior map when we first moved in our complex was tagged as “Tech Change Status: MDU Complex Eligible To Apply (FTTP). Program Type: Customer-initiated N2P MDU Complex” It still says the same today.

We all received a notice of future works from Ventia a few weeks ago, before the AGM. Presumably, that’s the FTTP “remediation and bespoke design” mentioned by NBNCo in the email. But the works notice from Ventia made no mention of FTTP upgrades. It just said they were coming out to fix the broken MDU cabinet door and remove some superfluous racks from inside the cabinet after carrying out general hardware inspections in our area.

Does anyone understand what’s going on? Is our complex really getting a free MDU upgrade without going through the typical complex multi-dwelling application process? Or is this some big understanding on NBBVo’s part that’s going to result in us waiting months for nothing?

Has anybody had any experience with being approved for IPTAAS for accommodation rebates for gender affirming surgeries?

We live in NSW and will be travelling 350km/6hrs-ish each way via car for my GRS with Hart in ACT. I have surgery on a Wednesday, but have been told I’ll need to be in town on the Monday morning for pre-op tests. So we are planning to head down on the Sunday to get settled. My partner will be in the hotel for a week while I’m in hospital, and then we have to stay in town for another week after discharge for my post-op checkup. So it’s about 17 nights in total and looking at around $3k for a hotel.

I don’t think it’s possible to add this expense onto my compassionate super release for the surgery (unless anyone can advise how), so we are looking at getting it rebated via IPTAAS instead. We can’t apply until after the fact though, making it a bit of a gamble. I just wanted to see if others have had any success with the program, specifically for gender affirming surgeries?

I’ve got my bottom surgery in six months and I can’t get a clear answer out of anyone regarding PHI coverage and the whole hospital psychiatric services being needed to attract an MBS benefit issue.

I have all the MBS numbers directly from Hart’s offices on my fee estimate. I have provided these all to Teacher’s Health who swear that they are all covered by my current Bronze/Basic+ hospital cover, without hospital psychiatric services. No need to upgrade. I have asked them twice now if it was necessary to use the mental health waiver before my surgery to upgrade to Gold for hospital psychiatric services, as I had heard it is required for these numbers to attract an MBS benefit for this procedure. But I just keep getting the same basic response “Those numbers are covered by your current Basic+ level (without hospital psychiatric services) as long as they will attract a Medicare benefit.”

I’ve asked Hart’s offices the same question , but they won’t elaborate beyond “We recommend all patients have top level cover to ensure they are fully covered”.

Can anyone provide some clarity on this? I think I’m going to email the hospital billing department to see if they can help. Teacher’s Health says I’m covered. But I still keep reading on here about hospital psychiatric services being needed for those numbers to attract an MBS benefit. Where does that come from? Whose rule is that; surgeon, hospital, insurer or Medicare? If Teachers Health doesn’t really seem to understand what I’m talking about, who do I ask to get a straight answer?

I’ve read that some people have managed to get super released to pay for accommodation under the medical transport criteria. Has anyone here had any success with this?

I’ve got my surgery coming up later this year, in Aus. Surgery is on a Wednesday. I’ve been told I need to be in town by the Monday to have pre-op pathologies done at the hospital. So we thought we’d head down on the Sunday to get settled. Add that to the week for my partner to stay somewhere while I’m in hospital and the requisite week of staying in town after being discharged and we’re looking at 17 nights and about $3k+.

I’m already going to be withdrawing super to pay for the surgery costs and after reading that some others have had success in getting withdrawal for the accommodation, I was hoping to add that $3k onto it as well. Has anyone had any success with this and has any advice about how to get it approved?